For You
by Alan Bates
Summary: An old man tells his tale. Who is he, what is he doing there, and what is his conection to the Sorceress?


Disclaimer: I own nothing  
  
  
FOR YOU  
  
  
The old man sat down in the hall of Balamb Garden. He had been coming here more and more frequently over the past few days. His face was heavily scarred and thickly lined with wrinkles. He wore old dirty clothing and worn out boots. His movements were stiff. He leaned heavily on a cane to walk. None of the students recognized him. I certainly didn't know who he was. Of course there were plenty of rumors. There always are. Still, Headmaster Leonhart seemed to know him.  
  
Apparently, he knew him quite well. Leonhart had given him free access to the entire Garden. Sometimes you could see him limping through the halls, looking but not really seeing. Does that sound strange? It's the only way I can say it. It was as if he had become lost in his own memories and those memories were tearing him apart. Still, everyday he came to the Gardena and waited outside the infirmary. He had started coming here at the same time they transferred the Sorceress here from Esthar. One day, he called me over to his side and began to tell his story. He started with a question.  
  
Do you know who the Sorceress is? He asked me. I can't remember his exact words. I told him what I had been taught in class. The Sorceress had sacrificed herself and had been sealed to prevent the conquering of the world by another Sorceress from the future. He chuckled a little bit but it seemed to hurt his throat so he stopped. Then he told me I knew nothing. He said that the Sorceress had friends. While this was a basic statement, it had never occurred to me to think of her as a real person. Her friends tried to save her but failed. They failed because... He stopped talking and looked back into the infirmary. He continued his story without telling me why they failed.  
  
He told me how after the peace had been restored; the headmaster left the Garden. He told no one where he was going. The only company he had was his one time rival, who had seen the light, and the sorceress's dog. One thing I noticed immediately. When ever he referred to anyone in the story. He didn't say their name. At first I thought this was because maybe his memory was failing. Now, I'm not so sure.   
  
He told me many stories of the quests the former Headmaster and his rival went on. Some of them seemed humorous, some tragic. All boiled down to basically two things. They were looking for a way to revive the Sorceress or kill Ultimecia. He told me how the dog died. For some reason, his voiced started acting up during this tale. I asked him if he was okay. He told me no and then continued to tell his stories.  
  
He told me how, one day, the headmaster's rival was badly injured. He had to be drug back to Deling City, which was the closest city around. The rival had suffered internally injuries and couldn't continue their journey. When transportation became available, he was taken back the Balamb Garden. The two men never saw each other after that, or so the old man said.   
  
The man told me that the former headmaster continued his journey alone. Eventually he found a way to reach Ultimecia. When I asked him how, he brushed me off. Said it didn't matter. Told me that the former headmaster found his way to Ultimecia and killed her. But not without a price. I distinctly remember him saying this several times. The last time he said it, he tapped his left leg with his cane. There was a knocking sound and for the first time, I noticed he had an artificial leg. He went on telling his tale. How the former headmaster found the treatment. How he found his way back to his own time. I assume he would have kept telling the story, but he was interrupted by the Garden intercom.  
  
"SeeDs and Students, the revival has been a success! I would like all of you to please welcome the Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly back into the world. Please show your support." Or something like that.  
  
The next words I'll always remember. Even though I still don't understand.  
  
"That's the end of my story, little Ms. Almasy." I didn't ask how he knew my last name. "I don't think he would have told me. Then he struggled to his feet and started to walk away. I called out after him but he acted like he couldn't hear. Almost as an after thought, he reached into his pocket. He put a small metal object in my hand and closed my fist around it before I could see what it was.  
  
"Give this to the Sorceress"   
  
He started to walk away again and just as he did. The Sorceress, a raven-haired young girl in a blue dress walked out of the infirmary. She looked nothing like I would have imagined her. She still seamed a little weak but was being helped along by Headmaster Leonhart. A person, who, in my opinion, looked just like the pictures I had seen of his father. I could tell the old man didn't want to see this.   
  
"Don't they look perfect together," his voice trailed off. This time when he walked away, I didn't try to stop him. After he was gone I walked up to the Sorceress and held out my hand, giving her the item the old man had intrusted to me. Attacked to a short chain was a charm resembling a lion's head. The sorceress called it "Greiver" and thanked me. I'm not sure what she meant but no one at the Garden ever saw the old man after that. 


End file.
